Cowardly
by NuclearRose
Summary: Carlisle, for some reason, thinks he is a coward. Why? Read to find out. CxEs.


**The idea for this sprung into my head last night. This is my first story, so I would like you to be nice, but if you have any constructive criticism ****feel free to give it so I can improve my writing. Also, if I have made any obvious grammar or spelling mistakes, please tell me as I don't have a beta yet.**

**Disclaimer: If I was Stephenie Meyer, there would be a million Twilight books! But there's not, so I'm obviously not.**

Esme,

I am a coward. No, I am more than that; I am a selfish coward. I am too scared to talk to you, too scared of your response. I wish I was braver, and I wish that I had the courage to speak my thoughts aloud.

I am sorry for what I did to you, I regret changing you and making you like Edward and me. That is why I am selfish. It was simply greed that made me do it, I wanted you. I wanted you, because I love you, Esme. I know it was so self-centred of me, but when I saw you lying there in front of me about to die, I couldn't let it happen. I couldn't let that amazing, beautiful girl that I could see leave me, I wouldn't!

I begged Edward to tell me what you were thinking, and at first he refused, but he has now told me a few of your thoughts. He apologises for invading your privacy. Don't be angry with him, he didn't want to tell me. He only told me a few things, but they were enough to make me write this. He said that you had loved me since you were 16, over a decade ago, and you still love me now. He also told me that even though you hate me for changing you, you still want to be with me.

In all my 300 years, I have never loved someone as much as I love you now. I would and will do anything for you. I will give you anything you want to make you happy, but all I want is to have you for eternity. You are the only woman that I need, the only one that I will be happy with. For yours and my sake, please, I ask one thing.

Esme, will you marry me?

Yours forever,

Carlisle Cullen

I folded the letter and placed it in an envelope. I knew Esme was outside tending to her garden, so I had a while to prepare for answer. I wondered where I should put it. Somewhere where she would see it, but it wouldn't be too obvious. Suddenly I heard a voice behind me.

"Oh Carlisle, that's so sweet! You'll be so happy together, I know you will."

"Edward?" I asked.

"Yes, it's me," he replied. He came to sit beside me at my desk.

"How long have you been there?"

"I heard that whole letter in your thoughts as you wrote it. OK, I suppose I sneaked in to find out what you would actually write; you've been planning it for about 3 days now."

"Do you think she'll say yes?"

"I'm sure she will. She loves you as much as you love her. But she's coming inside in a few minutes, so I think you should decide where to put it now."

"Can you listen in on her thoughts for a moment to see where she's planning on going?"

He looked doubtful but paused for a few seconds.

"When she comes in she's going to go upstairs to her room, but I can't tell why. That's where you should put it. Just leave it on the floor."

"Thank you."

I smiled at him before abruptly turning and running silently up to the room where Edward had said that Esme would be. I kissed her name on the front of the envelope and placed it gently on the floor. I was quiet for a moment and my vampire hearing told me that Esme was on her way. I took one last glance at the envelope, and slid out of the door to go back downstairs to my office.

After a couple of minutes, Esme passed my door. She looked in but didn't say anything. I hoped that she hadn't noticed how nervous I was. I noiselessly slipped out of the door and watched her as she gracefully walked up the stairs. She seemed to be going so slowly; was she deliberately torturing me? I heard her door open, and a second later I heard my envelope being torn open. I could almost see her eyes skimming across the page, before I heard one whispered word.

"Yes."

**I am sure that there are lots of FanFics out there of how Carlisle proposed to Esme, but this is just my idea of how it happened.**

**I will not be continuing this; it is simply a one-shot to get me in the mood for writing long stories. I have an idea for my first one, so hopefully I will publish that soon. I hope you liked this story.**


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